Dress Code

Dress and Grooming

The district’s dress code is established to teach grooming and hygiene, prevent disruption, and minimize safety hazards. Students and parents may determine a student’s personal dress and grooming standards, provided that they comply with the following:

Dress and Grooming Code

We expect students to come to school in clothes that are clean and neat, and we expect students to exhibit basic cleanliness and grooming that will not be a health or safety threat to themselves or to other students or staff. While we understand students’ desire to express themselves in their clothing and grooming styles, we do not permit students to wear clothing with pictures, emblems, or writing that is lewd, offensive, vulgar, or obscene or that advertises or depicts tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, drugs, or any other substance that students are prohibited from having or using at school. The principal makes decisions about dress and grooming violations.

APPROPRIATE GROOMING

All students will exemplify grooming standards that project a positive image for the student, school, and District:

Hair must be clean and neatly groomed and worn in a style that does not obstruct view of the face;

Male students must wear hair at a length that is off the shoulders and well groomed;

INAPPROPRIATE GROOMING

Inappropriate hair coloring or bleaching for the purpose of creating extreme differences in color, shade, or tone between the student’s natural and original hair color and the colored or bleached color, shade, or tone;

Inappropriate patterns or designs that could be conceived as gang related shaved or cut into the hair;

Spikes, mohawks or other sculpted hairstyles;

Metal or plastic combs designed to be used as grooming tools or other objects of like general description may not be worn in the hair;

Males may not have facial hair;

Sideburns may not extend past the bottom of the earlobes;

Any unnatural trimming or clipping of the eyebrows;

Hair in question will be left to the discretion of campus administration.

APPROPRIATE ATTIRE

Male students must wear clean clothing (shirt, slacks, jeans, shorts, trousers). Pants must be worn with the waist at waist level. Shirts must be buttoned;

Female students must wear clean clothing (dress, blouse, skirt, shorts, slacks, jeans). Pants must be worn with the waist at waist level, and shirts or blouses must be buttoned;

All students must wear clothes that are the appropriate size;

All students must wear appropriate shoes;

All students must wear appropriate undergarments (includes leggings/tights under any holes above the knees in pants or jeans);

INAPPROPRIATE OR UNACCEPTABLE ATTIRE

The following clothing and accessories are inappropriate attire for any student at school or a school-related or –sanctioned activity:

Dresses, skirts, or shorts shorter than 4 inches above the knee unless leggings are worn underneath; or if the student is in a primary grade (PK-2).

Cut-off shorts;

Jeans or pants with excessive holes above the knee or excessively frayed hems;

Any garment that has been identified as gang attire by the Texas Juvenile Gang Task Force;

Beach shoes, slippers, slides, house shoes or footwear that could damage the building, furniture, or equipment e.g., spiked heels, cleats, shoes with wheels. (All shoes in PK-2 must have a strap on the back);

Any visible belt chain that may or may not be attached to a pocket item;

Clothing worn at school or school-related or-sanctioned activities may not display printed statements or pictures:

that are vulgar or obscene;

that are related to or depict sexual activity;

that represent gang symbolism;

that promote hate or violence in general or are directed at any specific person or group of persons; or

that are related to or depict the use of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco;

that displays or depicts death, violence, hate, or other evil topics.

JEWELRY, TATTOOS, BODY PIERCING

PK-12 male students may not wear earrings at all.

The number of earrings should not exceed two pieces of pierced jewelry per ear.

Jewelry that may be considered a danger to the student (large hoop or long in length) will be at the discretion of the building principal.

Students may not wear on the outside of their clothing any jewelry or similar artifacts that are obscene or distracting or that are likely to cause disruption to the educational environment.

Students may not wear facial jewelry of any kind, other than non-distracting earrings worn in the ear (no large hoops or large earrings that dangle).

Students may not wear spacers or gauges in the facial or ear areas.

Students may not wear “grills” or mouth-gear. Students will not be allowed to wear such items in the mouth or on the teeth that present such an appearance.

Any body piercings or tattoos, including temporary tattoos, must be covered at all times while students are under the school’s jurisdiction.

GANG ATTIRE AND GROOMING

Clothing, grooming, or any attire that identifies or connects a student with a gang [definition in the S&E Code of Conduct] is prohibited. The principal will maintain and regularly update a list of clothing, grooming, and other attire that has been identified as gang-related.

PRINCIPAL’S AUTHORITY

The principal will determine if clothing or attire not addressed in this policy creates a distraction to the educational process and may prohibit that clothing or attire for his or her campus. Administrators have the discretion to determine the appropriateness of dress and grooming and to make special exceptions, including for religious or medical necessities.

If your child comes to school wearing clothes that violate the dress code or in any other way violates our dress and grooming standards, she or he will be placed in in-school suspension until she or he is in compliance. We will make efforts to notify you as soon as possible, and if the student changes clothes or otherwise comes into compliance with the dress and grooming standards, she or he will return to regular classes immediately.

If the principal determines that a student’s grooming or clothing violates the school’s dress code, the student will be given an opportunity to correct the problem at school. If not corrected, the student may be assigned to in-school suspension for the remainder of the day, until the problem is corrected, or until a parent or designee brings an acceptable change of clothing to the school. Repeated offenses may result in more serious disciplinary action in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.